Ice maker for refrigerators



F- M. WALKER ICE MAKER FOR REFRIGERATORS Jan. 9, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed April 17, 1967 INVENTOR. Few/a A//. W4LKE-2 United States Patent3,362,182 ICE MAKER FOR REFRIGERATORS Frank M. Walker, Oklahoma City,Okla., assignor to H & W Industries Inc., Oklahoma City, Okla., acorporation of Oklahoma Filed Apr. 17, 1967, Ser. No. 631,234 22 Claims.(Cl. 62-137) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An ice maker for a refrigeratorhaving a freezing compartment and a non-freezing compartment. Thehousing containing the ice molds is positioned in the freezingcompartment to take advantage of the temperative maintained in thefreezing compartment, while the mechanism for operating the ice ejectorsassociated with the molds is located in the non-freezing compartment ofthe refrigerator. The mechanism in the non-freezing compartment includesa piston moved in an ice-ejecting stroke by the pressure of water from ahousehold water supply system, and the water used for moving the pistonin an ice-ejecting stroke is subsequently forced by the piston into themolds for refilling the molds.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This is a continuation-in-partof applicants copending application entitled, Ice Maker," Ser. No.595,853, filed Nov. 21, 1966.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the invention This inventionrelates to improvements in ice makers of the type powered by a source ofwater under pressure, such as a household water supply system, and moreparticularly, but not by way of limitation, to an ice maker adapted foruse in a refrigerator having a freezing compartment and a non-freezingcompartment.

2. Description of the prior art The ice maker disclosed in applicantsco-pending application referred to above, as contrasted with prior icemakers, utilizes a direct application of the pressure of water from areadily available water supply to eject ice from one or more molds, andtests have shown it to be an improvement over prior known ice makers.However, applicants prior ice maker was designed to be substantiallywholly contained in the freezing compartment of a household refrigeratoror the like, and the mechanism thus takes up more room in the freezingcompartment than is desirable in some cases. Also, since substantiallythe entire mechanism is contained in the freezing compartment, care mustbe taken to prevent the freezing of the actuating mechanism whichrequires, for example, the generation of heat adjacent to the actuatingmechanism which must be insulated from the freezing compartment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates, in oneaspect, a refrigerator having a first compartment maintained at atemperature below 32 F. and a second compartment therebelow maintainedat a temperature above 32 F. A housing containing vertically orientedmolds is supported in the first compartment to freeze water in the moldsto the desired configuration, and heater means are positioned in thehousing for partially thawing and releasing ice from the molds when theice is to be ejected. A conduit extends downwardly from the mold housingice into the second compartment of the refrigerator and is used forrefilling the molds with water. Also, ejectors positioned in the moldsare connected to a rod which extends downwardly into the secondcompartment through the conduit for cyclicly ejecting ice from themolds. The entire mechanical mechanism for operating the ejectors andfor directing water through the conduit to refill the molds ispositioned in the second refrigerator compartment where it is isolatedfrom the freezing temperatures in the first compartment and does nottake up space in the freezing compartment.

In another aspect, the present invention contemplates a mechanism foroperating the ejectors and refilling the molds of an ice maker whichcomprises a vertically oriented cylinder having a piston therein movedin one direction by water pressure action on a diaphragm sealed to thecylinder, and moved in the opposite direction by spring action. Thepiston is moved through an ice-ejecting stroke by the pressure of waterdirected from a water supply into the lower end of the cylinder. Thepiston is returned to the lower end of the cylinder by a spring to forcethe water previously used for moving the piston in an ice-ejectingstroke from the lower into the upper end of the cylinder. Thus, thewater used for moving the piston in an ice-ejecting stroke is in turnmoved by the piston in the next ice-ejecting stroke to refill the moldsof the ice maker with the correct amount of water.

An object of this invention is to provide an ice maker for a householdrefrigerator or the like wherein the ice maker occupies minimum space inthe freezing compartment of the refrigerator.

Another object of this invention is to provide an ice maker for ahousehold refrigerator or the like wherein the ice is ejected from moldsin the ice maker by the direct application of the pressure from ahousehold water supply system against a piston connected to ice ejectorsin the molds, and wherein the mechanism for driving the ice ejectors ispositioned remotely from the molds.

A further object of this invention is to provide an ice maker whereinice is ejected from the molds of the ice maker by the direct applicationof the pressure of the water from a household water supply systemagainst a piston connected to ejectors in the molds, and wherein thewater used for the ice-ejecting operation is subsequently used forrefilling the molds.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an ice maker fora household refrigerator or the like having a long and trouble-freeservice life, and which utilizes a maximum of readily available,standard parts for its construction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be evident from thefollowing detailed description when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings which illustrate the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of themajor portion of an ice maker constructed in accordance with thisinvention as it is installed in a household refrigerator, with a portionof the refrigerator being shown in dashed lines for clarity ofillustration.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the ice receiving bin andwith the remaining portion of the ice maker being shown in elevation.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view as taken along lines 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the ice maker with the ice receiving binremoved.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along lines 77 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a schematic wiring diagram of the control circuit for the icemaker.

FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view through one end of mold housingshowing a modified structure.

FIG. 10 is a schematic wiring diagram of the control system used in themodified ice maker illustrated in FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EM- BODIMENT Referring to the drawings indetail, and particularly FIG. 1, reference character 20 generallydesignates an ice maker illustrated as being installed in a refrigerator22. The refrigerator 22 has a first compartment 24 and a lower, secondcompartment 26 separated by a horizontally extending partition 28. Thefirst compartment 24 is sometimes designated herein as the freezingcompartment and is maintained at a temperature below 32 F., as is commonin the freezing compartments of household refrigerators. The secondcompartment 26 is sometimes designated herein as the non-freezingcompartment, since it is a compartment maintained at above 32 F., andmay be the usual refrigerated space in a household refrigerator, orcould be the compartment or space housing the usual refrigeratorcompressor in models where the freezing compartment is below thenon-freezing compartment.

The ice maker 20 basically comprises a mold housing 30 which is adaptedto be secured in a fixed position in the freezing compartment 24 bysuitable fasteners 32, and what may be generically designated as thehydraulic drive system 34 suitably secured in the non-freezingcompartment 26 of the refrigerator 22.

As shown in FIGS. 4 through 7, the mold housing 30, which may be formedof any desired material having good heat transfer characteristics, suchas aluminum, is provided with a plurality of mold cavities 36 therein.The mold cavities 36 are sometimes referred to herein simply as molds,and are arranged in a row with a vertical slot 38 formed in the housing30 between each adjacent pair of molds 36, for purposes to be described.It will also be observed that each mold cavity 36 is oriented verticallyand is opened at its upper end 40, with the side walls of each moldbeing slightly tapered upwardly and outwardly. Each mold cavity 36 maybe of any desired cross-sectional configuration, such as circular, orrectangular as illustrated in FIGS. 4 through 7.

A bore 42 extends upwardly through the lower portion of the housing 30into communication with the centrally located mold cavity 36 to receivea connector 44. The connector 44 is suitably secured to the upper end ofa vertical rod 46 and functions as the ejector for ice formed in therespective mold cavity 36, as will be described further below. Anelongated slot 48 is formed in the lower portion of a housing 30 on eachside of the bore 42 and extends underneath the respective remaining moldcavities 36 to slidingly receive a bar 50. Each bar 50 is rigidlyconnected to the connector 4-4 and is of a size to be reciprocatedvertically through the respective slots 38 between adjacent moldcavities 36, as will be described further below. An arcuate projection52 is formed on the upper edge of each bar 50 in alignment with eachmold cavity 36 (except for the cavity 36 above the connector 44) whichis received in an arcuate depression 54 in the bottom of the respectivecavity 36 to function as an ejector for ice formed in the cavities whenthe bars 50 are raised, as will be described.

What may be termed a switch housing 56, which may be formed of asynthetic resin plastic material, such as Delrin, nylon or Teflon, issecured to one end 58 of the housing 30 by suitable fasteners 64 Thehousing 56 con tains what may be called a master switch 62 which ismanually operated by a switch arm 64, and the switch arm 64 ispreferably readily accessible when the door of the refrigerator 22 isopened. The housing 56 also contains a switch 66 of the push button-typehaving an operating member 68, and the switch 66 is suitably held in thedesired position in the housing 56 by fasteners 70. The housing 56further forms a covering for a thermostat 72 held in a mating bore 74 ofthe housing 30 by a leafspring 76. The leaf-spring 76 is in turn held inthe desired position by one of the fasteners 60. The thermostat 72 maybe a conventional SPST bimetallic disc-type which provides an immediateopening or closing in response to sensing high or low temperature levelsin the housing 30. In one form of the present ice maker used in ahousehold refrigerator, the thermostat 72 was set to close a switchassociated therewith when sensing a temperature of 18 F. and to opensuch switch when sensing a temperature of 50 F.

The housing 30, being of a material of high heat transfercharacteristics, will be continuously cooled by virtue of thetemperature in the freezing compartment 24 to provide a ready formationof ice in the mold cavities 36. The housing 30 is periodically heated bya suitable heater 78 secured in a mating groove 80 extending along thebottom of the housing 30. The heater 78 extends into proximity with eachof the mold cavities 36 to partially thaw and release ice formed in themold cavities when the heater is energized, as will be set forth morefully below.

An elongated rod 82 extends along the top of the housing 30 and isjournaled to the housing 30 at spaced points by brackets 84 secured tothe housing by fasteners 86. The rod 82 is bent to provide what may betermed fingers 88 projecting partially over a portion of the moldcavities 36 in positions to be engaged by ice being ejected from thecavities 36, as will be described. The rod 82 is urged into a positionwith the fingers 88 extending substantially horizontal by a spring 90anchored to the rod and to an adjacent portion of the housing 30; thus,the fingers 88 are sometimes referred to herein as spring-loadedfingers. It will also be observed that the rod 82 may be extended at itsopposite ends over the top of the housing 30 and down along the front ofthe housing to form a bail 92 which increases the strength of the rodassembly and acts as a counterweight urging the finger 88 down. Aprojection 94 extends from the end of the rod 82 adjacent the end 58 ofthe housing 30 into the switch housing 56 in a position to depress theoperator 68 of the switch 66 when the fingers 88 of the rod 82 areextended substantially horizontal, and to release such operator 68 whenthe fingers 88 are moved upwardly into elevated position, as will bedescribed further below.

The lower end portion of the bore 42 in the central portion of thehousing 30 containing the connector 44 previously mentioned, is threadedto receive the upper end of a conduit 96 extending downwardly from thefreezing compartment 24 through the partition 28 into the nonfreczingcompartment 26. The conduit 96 is used for filling the mold cavities 36with water and maybe formed of any desired material, such as metal. Inany event, a heater 98 is preferably wound around the conduit 96, andparticularly over the length of the conduit 96 exposed to the freezingtemperature in the freezing compartment 24, to assure that any waterwhich may be frozen in the conduit 96 will be thawed when the moldcavities 36 are to be filled, as will be set forth below. The heater 98is preferably enclosed by an insulating sheath 100 which may be formedof any desired insulating material, such as a synthetic resin material.It will also be observed in FIG. 5 that the rod 36 previously mentionedas being connected to the connector 44 extends downwardly through theconduit 96.

The lower end 102 of the conduit 96 is threadedly secured in a matingaperture formed in the upper end of a cylinder 104 of the hydraulicdrive system 34. The cylinder 104 may be formed of any desired material,such as a synthetic resin material, and contains a reciprocating piston106 formed, preferably, of the same material as the cylinder 104. Thepiston 106 is enveloped in the cylinder 104 by a flexible diaphragm 108having the outer edge 110 thereof suitably secured and sealed to thelower end of the cylinder and having the central portion thereofextending underneath the piston 106. The diaphragm 108 is of a size toeffectively roll from the outer periphery of the piston 106 to the innerperiphery of the cylinder 104 when the piston 106 is moved upwardly.Thus, the diaphragm 108 may be characterized as a rolling diaphragm. Inone size of ice maker made in accordance with this invention, thecylinder 104 has an inside diameter of 2.25 inches and the piston 106has an outside diameter of 2.06 inches and travels 1.8 inches in thecylinder 104.

The piston 106 is preferably cup-shaped to receive the lower end portionof a helical compression spring 112, such that the lower end of thespring 112 is anchored to the piston 106. The upper end of the spring112 is suitably anchored to the upper end 114 of the cylinder 104. Inthe ice maker made according to this invention and referred to above,the spring 112 exerted a force on the piston 106 of twelve pounds whenthe piston 106 was at the lower end of the cylinder 104 as shown in FIG.5, and a force of thirty pounds when the piston 106 was raised themaximum extent.

An enlarged head 116 is provided on the lower end of the cylinder 104and has a bore 118 formed therein providing a conduit communicating withthe lower end of the cylinder 104. The outer end 120 of the bore 118 issuitably threaded for receiving a connector 122 extending from one port124 of a three-Way solenoid valve 126. A second port 128 of the valve126 is connected to a conduit 130 extending from a water supply (notshown), such as a conventional household water supply. The third port132 of the solenoid valve 126 is connected to another conduit 134. Theconduit 134 is secured to an aperture 136 in the upper end 114 of thecylinder 104 by a suitable tubing connector 138. The three-way solenoidvalve 126 effectively forms a normally closed solenoid valve preventingcommunication between the conduit 130 and the conduit formed by the bore118, as well as a normally open solenoid valve providing communicationbetween the conduit formed by the bore 118 and the conduit 134, forpurposes to be described.

A complete ice maker in accordance with this invention includes a bin140, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, to receive ice ejected from the moldhousing 30, with the bin 140 being supported to be readily removed bythe user of the ice maker when ice pieces are desired. The bin 140provides an ice receiving chamber 142 positioned below and in front ofthe mold housing 30. A flange 144 is formed at the upper end of the bin140 and is arranged to rest in brackets 146 secured to one side 147 ofthe refrigerator 22 by fasteners 148 in such a manner that the lower end150 of the bin 140 will tend to swing toward the wall 147 of therefrigerator, and the more ice deposited in the chamber 142, the greaterwill be the tendency of the lower end 150 of the bin to swing toward thewall 147.

As shown in FIG. 3, the bin 140 is formed at 152 to fit around theinsulating sheath 100 surrounding the conduit 96 and rod 46, and the binis normally held in the desired vertical position by a leaf-spring 154secured to the bin and engaging the insulating sheath 100. The Wall 156of the bin 140 adjacent the refrigerator wall 147 is positioned toengage the operator 158 of a push button type switch 160 positionedapproximately even with the lower end 150 of the bin 140 to open theswitch 160 when the bin 140 is filled with ice. When the bin 140 is notfilled with the desired amount of ice, the leaf-spring 154 maintains thewall 156 of the bin in such a position as not to actuate the switch 160.

The control for the ice maker 20' is schematically illustrated by thewiring diagram in FIG. 8 and comprises a circuit 161 including theswitch 66 actuated by the spring-loaded fingers 88 in parallel with thebin switch 106, and with both of such switches in series with thethermostat switch designated by reference character 72a. The controlcircuit also includes the heaters 78 and 98 and the coil 126a of thesolenoid valve 126 connected in parallel with one another and in serieswith the thermostat switch 72a. The master switch 62 is also connectedin series with the heaters 78 and 98 and the solenoid valve coil 126a.The master switch 62 is, of course, normally closed and is manuallyopened only at the discretion of the user. The normally closed switch 66is held in an open position by the projection 94 of the spring-loadedfingers 88 and is closed only when the fingers 88 are in elevatedposition, as will be described. As previously indicated, the bin switch160 is normally closed and is opened only when the bin is filled withice. As also previously indicated, the thermostat switch 72a is openedwhen the temperature of the housing 30 is elevated to the desired degreefor partially thawing and releasing ice formed in the mold cavities 36,and is closed when the temperature of the housing 30 reaches thepredetermined low temperature which signals that ice has been formed inthe mold cavities 36.

OPERATION In reviewing the operation of the ice maker 20, let it beassumed that ice has been formed in the mold cavities 36; the piston 106and diaphragm 108 are in their lowermost position in the cylinder 104,and the thermostat switch 72a has just closed by virtue of sensing thepredetermined low temperature of the housing 30. With this action thesolenoid valve 126 is actuated by its coil 126a to close off the conduit134 and simultaneously provides communication between the water supplythrough conduit and bore 118 and the lower end of the cylinder 104. Theclosing of the thermostatically operated switch 72a also energizes theheaters 78 in the mold housing 30 and the heater 98 associated with theconduit 96. Thus, these heaters will partially thaw the ice in the moldcavities 36 and thaw water which is frozen in the conduit 96.

As soon as water in the conduit 96 is thawed and the ice is releasedfrom the cavities 36, the pressure from the water source acting on thelower side of the diaphragm 108 will raise the piston 106 against theaction of the spring 112. The movement of the piston 106 is transmittedthrough the rod 46 and connector 44 for raising the bars 50 and theejectors 52. As a result, the ejectors 52 and the connector 44 force iceupwardly from the mold cavities 36.

The ice bodies being ejected from the two outermost cavities 36 areschematically illustrated in dashed lines in FIG. 6 and designated byreference character 162. These ice bodies 162 will engage the fingers 88and turn the rod 82 against the action of the spring 90. The fingers 88will thus impose an oblique force on the adjacent ice bodies 162 andforce such ice bodies away from the ejectors which in turn forces themfrom the top of the housing 30 and into the bin 140. It may also beobserved in FIG. 6 that the fingers 88 are so positioned that they willbe engaged by the ejectors 52 when the ice bodies 162 are harvested,such that the switch 66 will be maintained in a closed position as longas the ejectors 52 are in elevated position. The reason for maintainingthe switch 66 closed at this time is to prevent the stopping of the icemaker 20 by any inadvertent movement of the bin when the ejectors 52 arebeing raised, and thus prevent the possibility of a partial ejection ofthe ice bodies from the molds which would result in an excess of waterbeing directed into the cavities 36.

Simultaneously with the ejection of ice from the cavities 36, thediaphragm 108 forces water from the upper portion of the cylinder 104through conduit 96 and into the bore 42 in the lower portion of thehousing 30 to refill the mold cavities 36. It will be observed that thebore 42 communicates with the slots 48 extending underneath all 7 of thecavities 36 such that water directed to the bore 42 will effectivelyfill the cavities 36. The water forced from the upper portion ofcylinder 104 through conduit 96 was supplied to the cylinder 104 duringthe previous cycle of operation, as will be described.

The thermostat 72 is set to open the switch 72a only after the ice isejected from the cavities 36. As previously indicated, the thermostatmay be set, for example, to open when it senses a temperature of 50 F.Therefore, when the thermostat 72 does reach said high temperature andopens the switch 72a, the heaters 78 and 98 and 126a of the solenoidvalve 126 are de-energized. When the coil 126a is de-energized, thevalve 126 closes off the water source conduit 130 from the conduitformed by the bore 118, and simultaneously provides communicationbetween the bore 118 and the conduit 134. In this position of the valve126, the spring 112 is free to force the piston 106 downwardly which inturn forces water from below to above the diaphragm 108. The lowering ofthe piston 106 lowers the connector 44 and ejectors 52, such that theWater standing in the cavities 36 will be ready to be frozen by virtueof the low temperature existing in the freezing compartment 24. Also,the fingers 88 are returned to their substantially horizontal positionsby the spring 90, and the projection 94 from the rod 82 opens the switch66. Thus, if the bin is then full, the bin switch 160 will be opened andno current will be available to energize the heaters 78 and 98 and thesolenoid coil 126a until ice is removed from the bin 140. However, ifthe bin 140 is not filled with ice, the thermostat switch 72:: willagain be closed when the housing 30 reaches the predetermined lowtemperature to start another cycle of operation.

It will thus be seen that the pressure of water from the the watersource is applied directly to the lower side of diaphragm 108 which inturn raises piston 106 for both ejecting ice from the cavities 36 andrefilling the cavities with the water used for moving the piston 106 onthe previous ice ejection stroke. It may also be noted that either thebore 118 or, preferably, the conduit 130, is of reduced diameter toprovide a restriction in the flow of water from the water source to thelower end of the cylinder 104. This restriction may be sized to providethe desired speed of movement of the piston 106 in its ice ejecting andrefilling stroke, such that water is prevented from being sprayed fromthe bore 4-2 or the slots 48 out through the cavities 36 into thefreezing compartment 24 of the refrigerator.

MODIFIED EMBODIMENT A portion of a slightly modified ice maker 200 isshown in FIG. 9. The ice maker 200 is of the same construction as theice maker 20 previously described, with very minor exceptions. In theice maker 200, the portion 92 of the rod 82 is extended downwardly infront of the mold housing and into a suitable ice-receiving bin asufiicient distance so the spring-loaded fingers 88 will be maintainedin elevated positions when the bin is filled with ice by virtue of thecontact between the rod portion 92 and ice in the bin. In addition, themold housing, designated by reference character 30a in FIG. 9, has beenslightly modified to provide a bore 202 adjacent to the bore 74containing the thermostat 72 to receive a relatively small heater 204,such as a fifty watt heater. Finally, the switch controlled by theprojection 94 of the rod 82 has been changed to SPDT push-button typeswitch, designated by reference character 66a in FIG. 9 and having anoperator 68a.

The control circuit for the modified ice maker 200 is illustrated inFIG. 10 where it will be noted that the switch 66a and the solenoid coil126:: are both connected in series with the thermostat switch 72a.Terminal A of the switch 66a is connected in series with the heater 204,and the terminal B of the switch 66a is connected in series with theheaters 78 and 98 which are in parallel.

In operation of the modified ice maker 200, the piston 106 will be inits lowermost position and the thermostat switch 72a will be open whenice is being frozen in the mold cavities 36. At this same time, thefingers 88 will be in their substantially horizontal positions and theprojection 94 will be in engagement with the switch operator 68a to holdthe arm of the switch 664 in engagement with terminal B of the switch66a. When ice is frozen in the cavities 36 and the thermostat 72 isactuated to close the thermostat switch 72a, current will be applied tothe solenoid coil 126a and the heaters 78 and 98 to provide an ejectionof ice from the mold cavities and a refilling of the cavities in thesame manner as set forth above for the ice maker 20. In the presentembodiment, however, the ice being ejected, and the ejectors 52, willraise and hold the spring-loaded fingers 88 in elevated position.

As the fingers 88 are elevated, the projection 94 releases the switchoperator 68a to switch the arm of the switch 66a from terminal B toterminal A. Thus, the larger heaters 78 and 98 are de-energized.However, the smaller heater 204 is then energized to continue theapplication of heat to the thermostat 72 until the high actuatingtemperature of the thermostat is reached to open the thermostat switch72a. When the thermostat switch 72a is opened, the solenoid coil 126a isde-energized to actuate the three-way solenoid valve 126 and close offthe water supply pressure from the lower end of the cylinder 104, aswell as simultaneously provide communication between the lower and upperends of the cylinder 104. Thus, the piston 106 will be lowered by theaction of the spring 112 and lower the ejectors 52 which in turn lowerthe spring loaded fingers 88, such that the projection 94 of the rod 82will again depress the switch operator 68a and move the switch arm ofthe switch 66a from terminal A to terminal B. However, in the event theice ejected from the cavities 36 fills a bin associated with the icemaker, the rod portion 92 will be held upwardly by the ice in the binand retain the spring loaded fingers 88 in their elevated position, eventhough the ejectors 52 are lowered through the actuation of the solenoidvalve 126. Therefore, the arm of the switch 66a will remain in contactwith terminal A and prevent further operation of the heaters 78 and 98.Thus, when the thermostat 72 is cooled sufliciently to again close thethermostat switch 72, the ice frozen in the cavities 36 will not bepartially thawed and released, and the pressure applied by the waterfrom the water source to the lower end of the piston 106 will not besufficient to raise the ejectors 52. As a result, the thermostat switch72a will cycle back and forth between open and closed positrons, and thesolenoid valve 126 will be cycled between its operating positions.However, the ice maker 200 will be effectively stopped from harvestingice until ice is removed from the bin and the rod portion 92 is releasedfor lowering the spring-loaded fingers 88 and projection 94 to againdepress the switch operator 68a and move the switch arm of switch 66afrom terminal A to terminal B. From the foregoing, it will be apparentthat the present invention provides an ice maker particularly adapted toa household refrigerator or the like having a freezing compartment and anon-freezing compartment. Only the necessary portions of the ice makerare positioned in the freezing compartment for economy of space in thefreezing compartment and also to minimize the possibility of thehydraulic driving mechanism from becoming fouled by a freeze-up. It willfurther be apparent that the present ice maker will have a long andtrouble-free service life, utilizes the maximum of standard parts andwill be economical to construct and maintain.

Changes may be made in the combination and arrangement of parts orelements as heretofore set forth in the specification and shown in thedrawings, it being understood that changes may be made in theembodiments disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for producing ice from a source of water under pressure,comprising:

a housing having a plurality of vertically oriented molds therein forcontaining the water to be frozen and being open at their upper ends;

means for freezing water in the molds;

heater means in the housing associated with each mold for partiallythawing and releasing ice from the molds;

an ejector reciprocally disposed in each mold for ejecting ice from therespective mold when moved upwardly;

a cylinder having a first end and a second end;

piston means in the cylinder for reciprocation between said first andsecond ends;

means constantly urging the piston means toward the first end of thecylinder;

means connecting the piston to said ejectors for raising said ejectorswhen the piston means is moved toward the second end of the cylinder,and for lowering said ejectors when the piston means is moved toward thefirst end of the cylinder;

a first conduit connecting the water source to the first end of thecylinder for moving the piston means in the direction to eject ice fromthe molds with the pressure of water from said source;

a second conduit connecting the first conduit to the second end of saidcylinder;

a third conduit connecting the second end of the cylinder with themolds; and

valve means interposed in the first and second conduits for closing offthe second conduit when the piston means is moved from the first towardthe second end of the cylinder for ejecting ice from the molds, andshutting off the water source from the first end of the cylinder andproviding communication between the first and second ends of thecylinder when the piston means moves toward the first end of thecylinder, whereby the water used for moving the piston means in an iceejecting stroke is forced by the piston means into the molds on the nextsubsequent ice ejecting stroke thereof.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said valve means comprises anormally closed solenoid valve in the said first conduit and a normallyopen solenoid valve in the said second conduit.

3-. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said valve means comprises athree-way solenoid valve interposed at the junction between the firstand second conduits.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the piston means comprises adiaphragm sealed to the wall of the cylinder, and a piston in thecylinder between the diaphragm and the second end of the cylinder,whereby the diaphragm rolls from the outer surface of the piston to theinner surface of the cylinder when the piston is moved from the first tothe second end of the cylinder.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 where the cylinder is verticallyoriented with the first end thereof facing down, and the cylinder ispositioned below the housing; and

said means connecting the piston means to the ejectors includes a rodextending vertically through the second end of the cylinder and throughthe third conduit.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 characterized further to includeheater means associated with the third conduit to thaw water frozentherein.

7. Apparatus for producing ice from a source of water under pressure,comprising:

a refrigerator having a first compartment maintained at a temperaturebelow 32 F. and a second compart- 10 ment therebelow maintained at atemperature above a housing supported in the first compartment having aplurality of vertically oriented molds therein for containing the waterto be frozen and being open at their upper ends;

heater means in the housing associated with each mold for partiallythawing and releasing ice from the molds;

an ejector reciprocally dispose-d in each mold for ejecting ice from therespective mold when moved upwardly;

a conduit extending downwardly from the housing into the secondcompartment and connected at its upper end with the molds for supplyingwater to the molds;

a rod loosely telescoped through said conduit and connected at its upperend to said ejectors for operating said ejectors; and

means in the second compartment connected to said rod for cycliclyraising said rod and ejecting ice from the molds when the ice isreleased from the molds, and connected to the lower end of said conduitand said water source for cyclicly directing a measured quantity ofwater through said conduit to refill the molds.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 characterized further to include aheater associated with that portion of said conduit positioned in thefirst compartment to thaw water frozen in said conduit when the moldsare to be filled.

9. Apparatus as defined in claim 8 characterized further to include aninsulating sheath around the last-mentioned heater.

10. Apparatus as defined in claim 7 wherein said molds are arranged in arow with vertical slots between adjacent molds, said ejectors areconnected by a bar reciprocable through said slots; and said rod isconnected to the central portion of said bar.

11. Apparatus for producing ice from a source of water under pressure,comprising:

a refrigerator having a first compartment maintained at a temperaturebelow 32 F. and a second compartment therebelow maintained at atemperature above 32 F;

a housing supported in the first compartment having a plurality ofvertically oriented molds therein for con taining the water to be frozenand being open at their upper ends;

first heater means in the housing associated with each mold forpartially thawing and releasing ice from the molds;

an ejector reciprocally disposed in each mold for ejecting ice from therespective mold when moved upwardly;

a cylinder mounted in the second compartment having a lower end and anupper end;

piston means in the cylinder for vertical reciprocation therein;

means constantly urging the piston means downwardly in the cylinder;

a conduit extending vertically between said compartments providingcommunication between the upper end of the cylinder and the molds;

second heater means associated with said conduit to thaw water frozentherein;

a rod extending from the piston means through said conduit intocommunication with said ejectors for raising the ejectors when thepiston means moves upwardly in the cylinder; and

means connecting the water source to the lower end of the cylinder forraising the piston means in the cylinder with the pressure of the waterfrom the source, and connecting the upper and lower ends of the cylinderto transfer water from the lower to the upper ends of the cylinder whenthe piston means moves downwardly in the cylinder.

12. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said molds are arranged ina row with vertical slots between adjacent molds, said ejectors areconnected by a bar reciprocal through said slots, and said rod isconnected to the central portion of said bar.

13. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said piston means includesa piston and a diaphragm secured to the piston and the cylinder forsealing the piston in the cylinder.

14. Apparatus as defined in claim 13 wherein said means for constantlyurging the piston downwardly comprises a spring in the cylinder havingits upper end anchored to the upper end of the cylinder and its lowerend anchored to the piston.

15. Apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said means connecting thewater source to the lower end of the cylinder and the upper and lowerends of the cylinder comprises a three-way solenoid valve having oneport thereof connected to the water source, a second port thereofconnected to the lower end of the cylinder, and the third port thereofconnected to the upper end of the cylinder.

16. Apparatus as defined in claim 15 characterized further to include:

a thermostatically controlled switch thermally connected to the housingin a position to sense the temperature of the housing and operable toswitch from open or closed position when the housing reachespredetermined high or low temperature levels;

an electric circuit including said first and second heater means and thecoil of the said solenoid valve in parallel, and said thermostaticallycontrolled switch in series to control the circuit.

17. Apparatus as defined in claim 16 characterized further to include:

a normally closed bin switch interposed in said electric circuit; and

a bin mounted in the freezing compartment in a position to receive iceejected from the molds and moveable to open the bin switch when filledwith ice.

18. Apparatus as defined in claim 17 characterized further to include aspring-loaded finger carried by the housing in a position extendingpartially over at least one of the molds to be deflected upwardly by icebeing ejected from the mold and force the ice from the housing into thebin, said finger being held in an upper position by the respectiveejector as long as the piston is at the upper end of the cylinder; and

a switch connected in parallel with the bin switch in said circuit andpositioned to be closed by said finger when said finger is deflectedupwardly to prevent deenergizing said first and second heater means andsolenoid valve while said finger is deflected upwardly.

19. Apparatus for producing ice from a source of water under pressure,comprising:

a housing having a plurality of vertically oriented molds therein forcontaining the water to be frozen and being open at their upper ends;

means for freezing water in the molds;

an ejector reciprocally disposed in each mold for ejecting ice from therespective mold when moved upwardly;

means connected to the housing and ejector including electric heatingmeans and solenoid valve means to utilize the pressure of the source ofwater to move the ejector upwardly to eject the ice and refill the moldwith water;

a bin supported to receive the ice ejected from the molds and moveablewhen filled with ice; and

control means for the apparatus, including:

an electric circuit;

a thermostatically operated switch in the electric circuit connected inseries with the heater means and solenoid valve means in paralleladapted to energize the heater means and solenoid valve means when thehousing reaches a predetermined low temperature and de-energize theheater means and solenoid valve means when the housing reaches apredetermined higher temperature;

a moveable member carried by the housing moveable to a first positionwhen the heater means and solenoid valve means are energized andmoveable to a second position when the heater means and solenoid valvemeans are de-energized;

a first normally closed switch in the electric circuit positioned to beopened by the bin when the bin is moved by the weight of the icereceived from the molds;

a second normally closed switch in the electric circuit mounted on thehousing and positioned to be opened by the moveable member in the secondposition; and

said first and second switches being in parallel in said electriccircuit whereby the apparatus is prevented from being stopped by icefalling in the bin from the molds while the heater means and solenoidvalve means are energized.

20. Apparatus as defined in claim 19 wherein said moveable membercomprises a spring-loaded finger carried by the housing in a positionextending partially over at least one of the molds to be deflectedupwardly to said first position by ice being ejected from the mold andheld in said first position by the respective ejector as long as theejector is in a raised position.

21. Apparatus for producing ice from a source of water under pressure,comprising:

a housing having a vertically oriented mold therein for containing thewater to be frozen and being open at its upper end;

means for freezing water in the mold;

an ejector reciprocally disposed in the mold for ejecting ice from themold when moved upwardly;

means, including a solenoid valve, for cyclicly operating the ejectorand refilling the mold with water;

a first heater in the housing associated with the mold for partiallythawing and releasing ice from the mold;

a thermostat carried by the housing;

a second heater carried by the housing in proximity with the thermostat;

a switch opened by the thermostat when the thermostat reaches apredetermined high temperature and closed by the thermostat when thethermostat reaches a predetermined lower temperature;

a movable member carried by the housing movable to a first position byice being ejected from the mold, held in such first position by theejector when the ejector is raised, and moveable to a second positionwhen the ejector is lowered into the mold;

a double pole switch controlled by the moveable member to move the armthereof against one terminal thereof when the moveable member is in itsfirst position and move the arm thereof against the other terminalthereof when the moveable member is in its second position; and

an electric circuit connecting the thermostatically operated switch inseries with the coil of the solenoid valve and double pole switch inparallel to energize the solenoid valve and double pole switch when thethermostat reaches a predetermined low temperature and de-energize thesolenoid valve and double pole switch when the thermostat reaches apredetermined high temperature; and

said circuit connecting said first and second heater means to theopposite terminals of the double pole switch in parallel with thesolenoid valve coil to con- 13 14 tact the thermostatically operatedswitch to the first References Cited heater when the moveable member isin said second UNITED STATES PATENTS position and connect thethermostatically controlled switch to the second heater when themoveable mem- 231 2 3 1 g; h b t t t her is in said first position, were y the hermos a 5 3,300,998 1/1967 Jacobus et a1. 62*353 is exposedto heat from said second heater until the solenoid valve isde-energized. 22. Apparatus as defined in claim 21 wherein the ROBERTOLEARY Examme" second heater is of smaller wattage than the firstheater. W. E. WAYNER, Assistant Examiner.

